ThunderCats: A Nipping Catastrophe!
by Espeon804
Summary: The felines wake to only discover a strange plant growing around their lair. This time, their curiosity will get them for sure. So what happens when they discover catnip? How will they defend themselves against it, and what will become of them? Will they be able to defeat the Mutants? Read to find out in this funny tale!


**Full summary: **"Tygra!" He calls his name for the one thousandth time, and it catches his attention this time. "What in the name of Thundera is wrong with you?!"

Tygra's happy moment has been interrupted. He glares at Panthro, and the Panther could've sworn he sees the tiger's ears slightly flattening. Another rare thing. "Mine." He growls, hugging the batch of catnip he happens to be cuddling with.

"This is getting awkward." Panthro decides to to take Snarf's advice. He attempts to pull his friend out of "harms" way, but when he reaches for for him, Tygra goes tiger mode. His ear completely flattens against his head and his upper lip curls as he growls… a real growl that startles the panther. "Whoa!" he takes a quick step back in disbelief. "Yep. Catnip's bad. Now he's bearing his teeth at me! What's next?! A roar?! This is unlike him at all! Not unless he's completely enraged!"

"Snarf… I told you! I told you about that plant!" Snarf mews as he gets to his feet, crossing his arms. "But no. Nobody ever listens to old Snarf."

The ThunderCats are just having another normal day at their lair. As usual, they'll be expected to chase after the Mutants, beat up the mummy guy, and claim victory once more. But this time, Mumm-ra has a new trick up his sleeve that may drive the heroes to chaos.. but he's not getting involved with the fight.

The felines wake to only discover a strange plant growing around their lair. This time, their curiosity will get them for sure.

So what happens when they discover catnip? How will they defend themselves against it, and what will become of them? Will they be able to defeat the Mutants? Read to find out in this funny tale!

Rated G because it's for everyone!

**A/N:**** Hello to one and all! Espeon804 here to share you another great fan fiction. This time, I'm went back into the classic cartoons. You know, those good cartoons from "back in the day" I think the 80's count... Right?**

**I don't know. I'm a 90's kid. I'm turning 16 this December... Yeah, I'm young. But so you know, I'm not like one of these crazy teens today. My generation sucks... Kids these days...sheesh... Putting me to shame.**

**Anyway, back on topic, this time it's about ThunderCats. (I love cats, you know that already.) I watch a lot of it the other day, classic cartoons are awesome.**

**ThunderCats are on the move, ThunderCats are loose! Feel the magic, hear the roar, **

**ThunderCats are loose! Thunder, Thunder, Thunder, ThunderCats!**

**So, one day, I was wondering "they **_**are**_** cats right? What would happen if they get exposed to catnip?" I did research. Big cats are affected by it to, the same way as domestic cats. Give them too much, and they get violent.**

**I also noticed that the internet is lacking fan fictions on ThunderCats with catnip, so I decided to do one. I handwritten it first. It took over 40 notebook pages. So much for school supplies. Look, it's just a one-shot.**

**I tried to stay in character the **_**best**_** way I could. I also tried to make it like an episode, and not so much of a comedy, but there will be some humor in here. There will be some serious moments, some funny, you know, like any other episode.**

**And remember, when your cats get into that catnip, their personality is affected, you'll see how it turns out.**

**Oh yeah. You may also notice that there will be some things added that probably wasn't ever shown in the classics like body language. I did that on purpose. Many people who are fans, like myself, would wish that the producers would at least have them show body language with their ears and such. (In other words, the catnip makes them act more "kitty like". Just so you know, in case you're like "that never happens!") it's the catnip! Remember that!**

**Also, I'll try to publish new chapters on my other stories. So far I'm into the Warriors book series, Pokemon, Dragon Ball, ThunderCats, heck, maybe Inuyasha's next.**

**Nah, I don't think I'll go **_**that **_**far. A little too much violence to write about. **

**As you can see, theses plot bunnies keep chasing me. Does anyone have cabbage? Apparently, rabbits prefer cabbage over carrots. It's true. But seriously, anyone? Because there's a white one with red eyes staring at me. I think it's gonna haunt me. Help? Anyone? ...Please?!**

_**A nipping catastrophe! **_

Upon Third Earth, the first light of dawn breaks open in the horizon, spreading over the hills, finally shining over the cats' lair. The birds announce that starts of another day, a rather beautiful day that hopefully, no one would even attempt to ruin.

Too bad it won't be that way today. Like any other day.

Meanwhile in a far-off desert, sits the Black Pyramid. The usual scene of lightning crackling above and the thunder booming is followed by a series of evil laughter.

Mumm-ra stands over his purple liquid pool as it cast an image of an unusual plant growing around the Cats' lair in an unnatural size, creating a bundle, much like a fence. He smirks, knowing that whatever plan he has set will unfold. "Yes... Yes... Purr in your sleep while it last ThunderCats!" He gazes at the image as it displays each catish-humanish-like warrior sound asleep in their beds. "Because when you wake, a gift for you awaits!"

The caw of a vulture interrupts the red-hood-caped blue mummy. The Mutants finally arrived... Half sleep.

The vulture, known as Vultureman rubs away the sleep in his eyes. "Caaaaw... Why do we have to wake up so early? I'm still tired! Caaaaww..."

The big monkey, called Monkian, copies Vultureman's move,nets to keep himself awake. "I-it's just now becoming daybreak!"

"SILENCE!" Mumm-ra demands, startling the sleepy Mutants awake. They don't say a word as the mummy starts his explanation. "Take a look..." He points to the purple substance that once again displays the unusual plant. "I've placed it there overnight. This time... Those pesky felines are finished!"

The dog-like creature looks rather puzzled. "And what does these plants have to do with anything that makes it so important?"

The image in the substance disappears as a purple cloud of mist. Mumm-ra walks over to two separate cages facing one another. He digs into his cape, and draws out a handful of the same plant shown earlier. As he stuffs half of each bundle into the two cages, he simply adds, "Watch."

Mews escape from the cages as it wobbles side to side. The reptile-like mutant doesn't seem to like it at all. "Cats?" He asks, making a guess on what animal is concealed inside.

"Indeed Slithe. Give them a little, and they become playful." He takes out another good handful, and stuffs it inside the cages. A couple minutes later, the cats mews becomes more common. "Give them too much, as individuals, they lose their minds. But at the presence of another cat..." He places another bundle between the two cages, and he opens them both. Suddenly, the two cats lung at one another, fighting over the remainder of the plant.

The dog creature Jackalman watches with interest. "What is it called?"

Mumm-ra answers with the feeling of victory miles away. "Catnip."

"For some reason, this "catnip" changes a cat's behavior..." Slithe says, getting the idea. "...Yeeessss?" He tilts his head, amused with the plan.

Mumm-ra grins a toothy evil expression as he watches cat fur fly. "And once those ThunderCats get enough, they'll be at each other's throats! Rah-hah-hah- haah!"

Back at the Cats' lair, a fairly large feline, unusually larger than normal cats- known as Snarf, walks down the hallway and towards the kitchen. He puts on his apron, and starts to gran pots and pans. "Nothing's better than waking up to a good breakfast! Snarf!" The Snarf sets the items on the stove after climbing on a stool, and starts to put in ingredients. "Sna-arf... I better make sure that happens! Nobody likes to work on an empty stomach! Snarf, Snarf."

After a good amount of minutes, the aroma of the cooking meal finds its way into the nostrils of a young lion-like man. He appears in the kitchen to greet his good pal. "Morning Snarf, what's cooking?"

"The most important meal of the day!" Snarf replies with a small followed mew. "It'll be done soon. Don't you worry Lion-o!"

Lion-o nods once. "Meanwhile, I'll go ahead and wake the others. If you're making what I think it is, I'm sure it's something we'll all be enjoying." But of course, what he really means is it might be something they'll all be sinking their teeth into. Another week of nothing but fruit may be healthy, but at the same time, it's not as good as the thing they prefer.

Snarf smiles as the young lion goes off to run his small task. He starts to stir, watching the contents rotate inside the pot. He takes a spatula and starts to flip some bacon, a gift from the treetop woman. Soon, the meal will be done. Then, it'll be another day of patrol, and in the process, chasing after Mutants.

"Mmmm!" A pair of twins - the Thunderkittens - walk into the kitchen. No other than Wilykit and Wilykat. They're almost always hungry.

"That smells wonderful Snarf!" Wilykit praises as she runs to his side, and glances over the pot, followed by her brother. "Is that bacon? How did you get that?! Is it finished yet?!"

"Now, now you two." A fairly deep voice interrupts, belonging to a navy-blue panther-man. "Give him some space. Meals like this takes time."

Before the twins could protest, another voice interrupts. "Panthro's right." A tiger-man walks to the forming crowd with a cheetah-like woman. He places each hand on one of their shoulders. "How about you two find something to do until it's done. Cheetara will notify you so that your food won't go cold."

"But Tygra…" The twins give up. There's no point in arguing now. They just shrug and walk away.

Lion-o joins the group in time to see the last of the commotion. "Looks like they couldn't wait. Can't blame them. Snarf can make something worth waiting for if he puts his mind to it."

"Sns-arrf!" The snarf feels a bit offended by the remark. "I don't always mess up!"

Meanwhile, Wilykit and Kat walk down the hall with their shoulders slump. "No fair!" wilykit's the first to pout, crossing her arms as she marches down the hall. "How come they get to stay in the kitchen?"

"Maybe because they are older than we are." Wilykat points out. But after receiving a glare from his sister, he quickly says, "What? it's true! We can't do everything they do yet!"

"We can trim the lawn." Wilykit says this as if he's stupid. "Most kids don't do _that _ you know."

"It's still dangerous."

"Scaredy-cat." Her brother's concern bothers her sometimes. But, she said that for a reason. "Wilykat, what I mean is - we should probably do that - like - _now_." She points at the lair's exit. What use to be the grass around the moat has been replaced by an unusual kind of plant. She lets out a curious purr. "What do you suppose it is? It wasn't there yesterday!"

"Let's find out!" Wilykat joggs out of the lair before his sister could say anything.

"Hold on! Do you not know what curiosity dos to the cat?!" She runs after him, and stops right in front of the bundle. Scratch that. That's no bundle. "It's surrounding the lair!"

"How odd." Wilykat takes another step closer to it. "It just sprung overnight!" He takes closer steps until he's right above it. "Maybe we should tell Ty-" He is cut off when he picks up a strong aroma, and it's not coming from the food. "I-It smells…" The moment he opens his mouth, it seems like the aroma only got stronger. He can feel his ears droop low as his body is filled with unexplainable emotions. "good…" He brings his nose closer to the plant, not wanting the strange feeling to stop.

Wilykit notices this strange behavior. "Wilykat? What are you doing?" But when he doesn't answer, she grows impatient. "This is no time for games!" She comes to her brother's side, and tries to pull him away, but he resists. "Stop doing that!" She grabs his shoulders, but that's when she gets the scent too. Her ears too droop down as a small purr escapes her throat. it didn't take long until the pair of wildcats fall in, and starts to rub their backs all over the plant.

"Rah-hah-hah-haah!" Mumm-ra laughs inside of his pyramid as he watches the scene in the purple substance. "It's working! Mutating the plants' size give us a better chance of them being caught in it!"

"Ooo-ooo!" Monkain jumps with eagerness. "Do we strike now?"

"Fool!" Slithe spat, striking down the monkey's energy. "We wait until the full-grown ones and their Snarf gets a wiff. If one falls, the rest will follow...yeeessss?"

Jackalman laughs with mischief. "Their curiosity will get them for sure!"

Back inside the Cats' lair, Cheetara stares at the table as Snarf lays the plates full of food on them.

"Something wrong Cheetara?" Snarf's voice catches her attention. "If you are worried about Kit and Kat, why don't you go after them?"

The she-cat unexpectedly rises to her feet rather quickly. "Something's not right. I just know something's wrong."

Lion-o immediately gets to his feet as well. "Well, if Cheetara gest a hunch, it's an opportunity we can't just ignore. I'll-"

"Shh!" Panthro demands. His orange feline eyes dart to the left.

This confuses the Lord of the ThunderCats. "Since when did-"

"Shhh!" The panther says it more firmly now. Any harder, and it would had probably came out as a hiss if effort was put into it. After a few moments of silence, it appears that he is using his ears, because he turns to his left. "You hear that?" His left ear is more alert. It almost flicks as if bugs are trying to go inside it. He turns further to his left, looking directly into the kitchen's exit.

Apparently, panthro's not alone in this. Tygra hears it too, even with his mane in the way. "I hear it too." He announces. "But it's so very faint…" His voice trails off, then he runs ahead. Everyone else just walks.

"What do you think it is?" Lion-o asks his friend as they walk down the hall.

Panthro shakes his head. "I have no idea. But it sure was starting to irritate me. For a second there, I thought that a bug was... bugging me." The small pun did lighten up everyone's mood, but something told them that whatever's ahead isn't so pleasant.

"WHAT IN THE CATS' EYE COSMOS?!"

"Haven't heard him say _that_ in a while!" Cheetara announces. "We better see what's going on!" On that note, everyone runs to catch up.

They are taken outside, only to find the twins all over the place - literally! Wilykit repeatedly runs in circles in all fours, which isn't a common sight unless she's in the trees.

Wilykat rakes her exposed claws against the already shredded treebark from his recent scratches, another uncommon sight.

Panthro couldn't help, but laugh. "What did these two get into this time? An entire bag of sugar? Ah-ha-ha-ha!"

Tygra on the other hand is trying to puzzle out what is going on. "How curious." He scans his surrounding, taking note on the environment. "Our entire lair, surrounded by a strange plant-"

"CATNIP!" Snarf yelps in fear. Now he has all the attention. "You all have to stay away from that catnip plant! One whiff, and you'll go bananas! Sna-a-arf…"

"Cat...nip?" Panthro repeats the word strangely. The wonders of Third Earth will never end. "Why did they name it that It's kind of offensive if you ask me."

"Snarf, Snarf! Because! It makes us cats act crazy! Especially if we get exposed to more than we can handle! Snarf!" He points to the twin wildcats adding, "Just look at those two!"

Everyone looks again. The two are now biting the plant like there's no tomorrow. Every now and then, they can hear a ruff 'meow' come from one of them.

Lion-o however, isn't so convinced. "Are you sure Snarf? The last time you told a story like this, it was completely false."

"And I'm serious about the sugar. I mean, look at this!" Panthro hold up what was left of a sugar bag, which was torn to shreds. "They had so much of it, they turned the bag into confetti!"

"It's not the sugar! It's the catnip! You have to believe me!" Snarf shouts. "I witness this happen to many cats before!"

A loud eerie screeching sound causes the reasoning ThunderCats to groan and cover their ears. Where it was coming from isn't so good...

"BY THUNDER!" Panthro yells, slamming his hands on his head as he watches the twins rake their claws against the Thundertank. "I-I just gotten a new paint job on that!"

The twins run off and run on top a nearby picnic table that sits next to the "paw" of the Cats' lair. Something blue and flat meets the same fate.

"Whatever that was, it's confetti too." Lion-o says with a small shrug.

It didn't take long until someone figured out what it was.

"MY BLUEPRINTS!" Tygra shouts.

"The twins have lost their minds!" Panthro make it clear when he looks inside the tank's engine. The expression he shows is great disappointment, stress, and confusion. "How could someone chew through wire and not be French fried?!" He hears chewing once more, so he carefully follows the sound, and finds the source. He pops open the turret... Well... _Was _a turret, but now it's just Wilykat chewing on a red stick. "Okay, this is getting ridiculous!" He points to the wildcat, asking out loud, "How in Thundera is this even possible! This planet has no logic!"

"We'll be better off if we stop those two before they sink their claws and fangs into something else." Tygra suggests. And, as if on cue, Wilykit appears from nowhere and knocks the tiger off his feet. With a surprised yell, he crashes to the ground and his vision is blurred. His words stumble as he speaks. "They a-are already a b-burden when they are normal." He shakes his head so that his vision would clear. Then it does. Strange. All he sees is...

Catnip.

Tygra just chuckles. "That's not possible. Snarf's probably overthinking everything..." He pauses, picking up a strong scent. "E-every...thing..." His eyes widen with interest, full of energy. Something tells him that he should move away but...

He instinctively rolls to his back while purring out, "Me likey."

"By Jaga!" Snarf howls as he facepalms. "Not Tygra too!"

"What about Tygra?" Lion-o asks, not aware if the tiger becoming a victim to the plant.

Panthro growls with aggravation. He is still fiddling with his Thundertank. "Hey! Tygra! I think I need an hand!" After a few moments, he calls him again. "Tygra!"

Still, no response.

Already having enough stress added to his day, he turns away from his now-broken masterpiece, and walks to Tygra's direction.

Snarf mews nervously, fearing that another ThunderCat will be the next target. "Wait! Panthro! Stay away!" He starts to run after him.

"Shut up Snarf!"

Okay, so he's not to mess with today.

"Tygra!" He calls his name for the one thousandth time, and it catches his attention this time. "What in the name of Thundera is wrong with you?!"

Tygra's happy moment has been interrupted. He glares at Panthro, and the Panther could've sworn he sees the tiger's ears slightly flattening. Another rare thing. "Mine." He growls, hugging the batch of catnip he happens to be cuddling with.

"This is getting awkward." Panthro decides to to take Snarf's advice. He attempts to pull his friend out of "harms" way, but when he reaches for for him, Tygra goes tiger mode. His ear completely flattens against his head and his upper lip curls as he growls… a _real _ growl that startles the panther. "Whoa!" he takes a quick step back in disbelief. "Yep. Catnip's bad. Now he's bearing his teeth at me! What's next?! A roar?! This is unlike him at all! Not unless he's completely enraged!" "Snarf… I told you! I told you about that plant!" Snarf mews as he gets to his feet, crossing his arms. "But no. Nobody ever listens to old Snarf."

Cheetara comes to Panthro's side. "I don't see how this catnip could possibly change our behavior, but it got results." She points at Tygra, who is still hanging on to the bunch of catnip while glaring at Panthro. "For some reason, it seems to drive their instincts wild, making them become "untamed"." She keeps her distance, unrooting a small sample of the plant. She observes it while holding it away to keep herself from smelling it. "That's it. It's the aroma." She tosses it aside, adding, "We have to get those three away from it somehow."

Snarf walks up to the cheetah woman and mews, "You can use your super speed Cheetara! Grab the kits and Tygra and get outta there!"

"That might work." She starts to stretch her legs to warm herself up. "If I don't make it back - and become crazy like them - I ask you two to find Lion-o. Perhaps he can use his sword to solve this case." And with that, her body glows yellow, and she zips down the field.

Of course, Lion-o must've wondered off when no one way paying any mind. "Maybe we should do that now." Panthro suggest. "Something tells me that she's caught in that trap too."

"I'll find him." Snarf offers. "He isn't too far, in fact - sna-arf - he should still be around here, but the boy's too curious sometimes!" He drops to all fours, and starts his search.

"Uh… okay…" Panthro didn't expect to be left behind. He glances at the area where Tygra should be, but he's not there. "As expected." He grumbles. "Looks like I'm on guard duty."

Suddenly, something - actually _someone _- zips pass him, nearly knocking him off his feet. "Dang it Cheetara! You too?!" He yelps when she zips pass him again. This time, he's knocked over. He groans and mutters, "This is going to be a long day."

Meanwhile, Snarf runs around the lair, trying his best to keep a distance from the catnip. "Lion-o!" He mews nervously, seeing no lion in sight. "L-Lion-o!"

"Snarf!" The voice of the leading ThunderCat relives Snarf. He carries his sword of Omens. As he finally reaches him, it seems as if he's missing something. "Where's Panthro?"

"He stayed behind to watch the other ThunderCats." Snarf explains quickly.

"What about Cheetara?"

"She's trying to get Wilykit, Wilykat, and Tygra away from the catnip!"

"She shouldn't have gone alone."

The two exchanges nervous glances. They both have the same thought; she couldn't have escaped without being affected. Immediately, the two felines run back to the spot they left.

No ThunderCats in sight.

"Snarf! Where have they gone?" Snarf panics as he gets to his two feet again. He even stands on his tail to get higher ground. "Please don't tell me that they all got into that plant! Snarf, Sna-arf…"

"Lion-o!" Panthro's voice calls from above. "Am I glad to see you!"

Lion-o and Snarf looks above them. Yards away, the panther-man hangs on to a tree as if sharks await below him. "What are you doing up there?" They ask in sync.

"Long story." He replies. "But I highly recommend that you two get a hold on one too. Long story short; they are crazy!"

As if on cue, Wilykit leaps out the bundle of catnip and carries a mouthful as she dashes towards them in all fours. As she passes the two, she leaves behind a slash on their legs.

"Ouch!" The Lord of the ThunderCats leaps back as the kit tries again. "Did she just-"

"It gets worse." Panthro warns. He unhooks one hand from the tree and stretches out his arm, which displays a series of scratches and bite marks. "They are becoming very protective about that plant. Trust me, you'll want to get to higher ground. Just wait 'till Cheetara comes around."

"Snarf! Not her too!" Snarf immediately jumps to the nearest tree he could find. When he finds a secure spot, he calls out to his friend. "C'mon Lion-o! Something tells me that Cheetara's coming!"

Lion-o doesn't like the sound of that. "We may be cats, but that doesn't mean that all of us can climb well. Everyone's a natural on this except for Cheetara and I." Of course, lions and cheetahs _do _climb trees, but not as good as panthers and tigers. But it's only done when necessary, and right now, it's necessary. But there is still some difficulty in the process. "I need my Claw Shield, but I left that inside the lair!"

"Then use the sword!"

Of course! Why didn't he think of that earlier! "That's right Snarf! The sword!" Lion-o looks at the hand he carries it with. "if I can just-" There's no sword! "It's gone!" He gaps. "Surely, I just had it!"

"Look at who has it now." Panthro announces, pointing at Wilykit, who carries it in one hand. "Now what?"

"Snarf! Cheetara's coming! Fast!" Snarf yowls as a warning. "Jump for it Lion-O! Hurry!"

Lion-o turns around, spotting the she-cat speeding her way towards him. "Whoa!" He leaps into the air as high as he could. He grips on the tree, and he can hear his claws tear through the bark as they desperately try to hold on. But all it does is leave behind long marks. "I can't - get a good grip!"

Snarf gets set to protective mode. "Hang in there Lion-o! Snarf's coming!" He allows his tail to hang down. "Grab my tail and hold on!"

The lion does what he is told. He gets a hold of it, and snarf does his best to pull his pal up. Suddenly, the lion slips, and now his weight pulls down on Snarf's tail. Snarf hollers in pain.

Panthro knows that he has to protect his leader. He lets go of the tree and lands, leaving his safety. He waves his hands in the air and shouts, "Hey!" and it catchers the ThunderCats' attention. He approaches the catnip, trying to ignore the growling he can hear near him. "Oh look!" He says this on purpose, as if he's reading from a script and trying to get into character. "I wonder what that could be? Hmm…" He pretends to be interested in the plant. Meanwhile, Lion-o and Snarf realizes that Panthro's giving them a chance to sneak away. As they take the opportunity, he continues, "It's catnip! Maybe I should take some." He starts to reach for it in hope that it'll certainly grab their attention.

And it does, because a sudden angry roar - the roar of a tiger - nearly scares him off his feet. This makes it well and clear that they've gone crazy with the catnip, because _that_ rarely happens. Scratch that, it almost _never_ happens, unless there is a fierce fight, or... you ticked them off. And that's probably what he just did.

Yet he laughs at this. "Cheetara was right. They've lost their reasoning and their instincts took over their minds! That plant's more powerful than I thought!" He starts to run while shouting, "Try and get me!" and the ThunderCats run after him. As he tries his best to avoid the swift Cheetara's attacks, he shouts; "Lion-o! Call the sword and figure out what's exactly going on!"

It seems that today's drama made the lord forget that he can do that. he holds one hand into the air. "Sword of Omens… come to my hand!" At that moment, the iris of his orange cat eye glows yellow. The sword grasped by Wilykit reacts to this, and the "eye" on the sword "opens". Iy then yanks away from the surprised kitten and flies to his hand. As soon as he grips it, he brings the sword to his face, and the top part of the handle starts to curl as he said, "Sword of Omens… give me sight beyond sight!"

Lion-o's vision fades, and another vision comes around. He can see the Mutants laughing as they watch Panthro being chased by his comrades. it's obvious that they know about this.

The vision fades once more, and his surroundings return. "I should've known." He says. "One of the Mutants' dirty tricks. This time, they dropped a big one on us."

Snarf looks at his friend with deep concern. "I'm worried about Panthro. He is in danger, but the twins and the others can't help on what they're doing! They're unconscious on their actions thanks to that catnip! Snarf…"

"And Panthro can't fight them. It's against the code of Thundera. All he can do now is run." Unable to stand on the sidelines any longer, he decided to look for his friend. "Come on Snarf! Panthro may need our help!"

-meanwhile-

Panthro manages to dodge another attack from Cheetara. It's impossible for him to outrun the fastest land animal on Third Earth.

But he can certainly find ways to avoid it.

When she strikes again, he dodges, and runs around a nearby tree, formulating a plan. He looks behind him to make sure she's chasing him, and surveys the tree as he continues his run around it. He quickly grips on the bark and climbs up the tree in seconds. It's something all ThunderCats can take pride in. The tree top woman and the rest of Humankind would have to find tree limbs to hold on to in order to climb as long as they are in reach. Not unless they are very agile and can jump rather high. Who needs limbs when you got claws? It's one of the reasons why Monkian has a hard time chasing after the kits.

But then again, Cheetara can do the same. Hopefully she won't spot him. He climbs up a good 20 feet, and rests on a tree branch. Looking down, he can see her running in circles. So she still thinks he's down there.

Classic. It always works. But eventually, she _will_ look up. He knows that he'll have to do something to keep himself hidden until Lion-o comes around. Hiding isn't something that pleases him, but he can't harm his unreasoning friends. "At this rate, I might as well become a scratching post." He grumbles, watching Cheetara pause. She's now noticing his absence. "I managed to lead them here, but I can't leave the lair with all this blasted catnip lying around!" He observes the Thundercats growl at one another, and moments later, a fight cloud is forms when they all lash out against each other. "That's great." His tone is full of sarcasm. "Now they are fighting with teeth bared and fur flying - literally! This is ridiculous!" He pounds his fist on the tree branch. Seconds later, he hears a loud _Snap!_ "Oh...no." Looking down, he realizes that he's right above the catnip. _'How predictable' _he thought. "Well, I can't do anything about this…"

The branch snaps and cracks more until his weight is unbearable. It breaks free, and he crashes through the branches below him until he hits the ground, right into the catnip.

Immediately, he covers his nose as he stumbles to his feet, feeling pain throb through his body. The branches only added more scratches that he already endured earlier. You can say, this day could be the worst. "There's no way that I'll become crazy like them." But opening his mouth isn't the bright thing to do. He can taste the fragments… a strong scent. "Gaw…" He shakes his head rapidly. _'Fight it Panthro!' _He has the urge to free his nose from his hands, but it's too overwhelming to ignore. He makes a run for it. "I have to - get out of here before it's too la-" it hits him hard. He instantly forgot what he was about to say. He stops in his tracks, trying to remember what exactly he was doing. "H-hey… what's happening to-rrraaarrr…" Just like the others, he starts to purr from the "wonderful' aroma. Just like the others, all he cares for is that plant.

Snarf and Lion-o arrives on the scene.

"Snarf! we're too late!" Snarf shouts. "Panthro! He's… Snarf, Snarf…"

"He's… been affected!" Lion-o finishes Snarf's sentence. "looks like we're the only two left!" He glances at his friend, giving him a small warning. "We'll have to be careful. Not only do we have to avoid the catnip, but also eye contact with our friends."

"Maybe Willa and Nayda has something to calm them down!" Snarf suggest, already creating a small plan. "they have their own crops of catnip, so there has to be something to reverse the effects!" He mews with some uncertainty. "But how are we going to get out of the liar without running into trouble?"

Lion-o replied immediately. "We'll have to do something that i'm out of practice on. Since wilykat disabled the Thundertank, we'll have to use the trees as an escape route. Climbing may not be so easy, but as soon as I reach the top, jumping tree to tree is what I can do without even half trying."

They both first make sure that they aren't being watched. The other ThunderCats are too busy rolling or chewing on catnip. If they weren't so violent and protective about it, it would probably be a funny scene to watch.

"Be careful Lion-o!" Snarf reminds him as they run towards the nearest tree. "Watch your step! You don't want to run into any-"

_Snap!_

The sound catches their crazy friend's attention. Oh the irony. "twigs…" Snarf grumbles, ashamed that he's the one who made the mistake. Not to mention, they both stand near a bundle of the horrible plant that the others desire so much. Snarf's fur stands on end when he sees the felines glaring at them, baring their teeth with a low growl. "Looks like they became a bunch of angry wild animals! Let's get outta here!"

Lion-o doesn't hesitate. He jumps up high, and grips on to the bark. He slips, budget sa hold somewhat, then he brings out his sword and stabs it into the tree, using it to climb up high. "We're almost there Snarf. Whatever you do, don't look into their eyes. They might see you as a threat."

"A threat?" He doesn't like the sound of that. Snarf, as usual, couldn't help but try to reason with his friends. "Panthro... Tygra... Cheetara... Wilykit... Wilykat...snap out of it!" He looks into Panthro's eyes, searching for the usual calm and content look. But all he sees is wild and wide burning eyes. Hungry for more catnip. It startles him to see him that way. He climbs on Lion-o to lay on his back, feeling a cool chill traveling down his spine. "Lion-o... Sn-Snarf..." He must be dreaming. He closes his eyes for a second, then opens them, looking back. No change at all.

Lion-o has finally reached a stable tree branch. He grabs it and pulls himself up. "Thank Jaga, I made it."

"RAAAAR-RAAOOOWL!"

"Snarf! I told you not to look!" The sudden roar startles him. it's not common to actually hear them roar. "Whose roar was that?!"

"That was the roar of a panther!" Snarf replies. "It's Panthro, and he's coming!"

The lion-man looks down. Certainly, Panthro's climbing up the tree without a problem, and fast! As he comes into range, Lion-o has an idea.

"There's a small chance that they could still be themselves… somewhere. Especially Panthro."

Snarf isn't so bright about his statement. "Meow... what do you know? We've never been in this situation before!"

"We?" The ThunderCat Lord repeats strangely. "You mean we.. excluding you. You told us that you've seen it happen before right? How long does it take until the effects wear off?" he leaps to a higher branch to distance himself from Panthro.

"For everyone except Cheetara and Panthro - they should be immune to it by now! The mutants must've done something to it!"

"That could be it." The lion watchers the panther get closer to him. "But since he is just now getting into it, he's not as bad as the others."

"Snarf… I just wonder if he can still speak."

"Hey! Panthro!" Lion-o calling his friend makes the snarf shake like a rattle. "Mind if I can have some of that catnip?" He's clearly testing him.

It becomes moments of silence as the panther-man stops his tracks. his eyes burn as they stare into his leader's. "Have?' When he repeated the word, low growl is followed. "Not even borrowing. Not even observing!" His eyes narrow slowly. "It's mine."

"I can see that you want to keep it for yourself. But haven't you noticed how crazy you've became?"

"Crazy? Who's crazy?" Panthro's eyes twitch every now and then. "I'm not crazy! You're crazy!"

"He's too crazy to realize that he's gone crazy!" Snarf points out to Lion-o. "We'll have to hurry and get rid of that terrible plant!"

"No!" Panthro roars in protest, and he quickly runs up the tree.

Suddenly, a swarm of bats fly out of the trees and downward, probably startled by his roar. Now it's Panthro's turn to be scared with his fears of bats. He tries to swat them away as he screams. But now he doesn't have a hold on the tree anymore, so he falls.

"Oh, no!" Snarf panics. "Will he be okay?"

Lion-o looks down and notices the fallen feline getting back to his feet. "He's unharmed. That's good."

Meanwhile, in the Black Pyramid, Monkian watches the scene with some disappointment. "They know that we are behind this. How are we suppose to get them now? Ooo-ooo!"

Slithe wears a content expression as he studies the scene carefully. "It's always that cub that stands above the rest! If we can't have them get into it themselves, then we'll make them. Yeessss?"

"Caaaaaw!" Vultureman caws in interest. "Let's bring in the sky-cutters. Lion-o already lost five. The ThunderCats are - caaaw - over!"

"Then go!" Mumm-ra demands. "Don't let him reach the Treetop kingdom!"

Back among the Cats' lair, Lion-o lands on another tree branch. He looks behind him, laughing at Snarf who hesitates to jump. "Lighten up Snarf. We're almost past the crop. Then it'll be much easier to travel on foot."

"Yeah, sure. You may say that now." Snarf mutters as he manages to hold his place on the branch. "But one wrong move and it's all over! Snarf…"

Suddenly, a series of lasers pound into the branch they stand on. Lion-o's first impulse is to grab Snarf and get to safety. When he lands on another branch, he witnesses the tree who stood earlier tip over and fall after a loud crack. "we're being attacked! But… by who?"

His question is answered when a large object whizzes over his head. Looking up, he spots Monkian riding on some aircraft.

"Sky-cutters!" Snarf yelpls. "They know that we're not affected yet!"

As Jackalman's sky-cutter flies pass them, Lion-o draws his sword. "We'll make sure it Stays that way too!" The sword's "eye" opens, and he looks into the sword as his eyes once again glow yellow. He rises it to the air while shouting, "Hoooo!" The "eye" then becomes the "head" of a roaring black cat's head. The blade grows in length, and unleashes its power. Electricity takes down one of the sky-cutters.

Slite drives his nose-diver. He points at the lion. "Get rid of that sword! We all know that he's defenseless without it!"

Lion-o gets ready to strike again, but it's shot out of his hand, landing into the catnip bundle. He turns around, only to be rammed by a sky-cutter. He hangs on for dear life. Snarf cries out in fear.

"No free rides Th-ThunderCat!" the monkey spins his vehicle in a 360 rotation, trying to throw his foe off. But that is short lived, because the primate is getting dizzy. "How about this?" He presses a button, and gas pours out from the nozzle. He laughs as he watches the feline sneeze and cough. "How do you like that?"

Lion-o can feel his body go limp. This isn't good. If he lets go, then he'll be joining his friends in crazy land. But he can't hold on, no matter how hard he tries.

Then, he finally lets go.

He yells as he falls towards the earth waiting patiently for it's new host. His face gets implanted into the dirt. After a few seconds, he yanks it free for air. It doesn't take long for him to realize that he has fallen into the crop. It's already much too late. The fragments has already reached his nose. Since he is well open-minded, it's only natural that he speaks out his feelings in situations like these.

He struggles to his feet, resting on hand on his head like he's experiencing a headache. "I-I feel... Strange." He mutters. He shakes his head rapidly in hopes that the feeling would go away. No luck. "It's the catnip!" He growls. "It's... It's..." He tries to be aware of what is going on, but what interest him is the plant that he's been running away from for so long. "It's wonderful..." His pupils widen, and he starts to roll around.

Snarf mews in despair. All his friends, caught in the Mutants' trick. "Sn-Snarf!" He hisses, getting into a crouch as the vehicles surround him. "You'll pay for this!" He lunges at Monkian, but he simply swats the cat away, and he falls next to his pal. "Well, if you can't help them, then there's no option left but to join them..."

"Radar-hah-haah!" Mumm-ra laughs inside his pyramid. "Finally! The ThunderCats are finished! With that catnip filling their noses, they are defenseless kittes!" He glances at his visual pool, displaying Wilykit and kat holding on to one another as they roll around. "Not to mention that they've gotten into so much of it, it's like the code of Thundera slipped from their minds! They desire it so much, they are already attacking each other to keep it for themselves!" he laughs again, swinging one arm over the pool, forcing the image to fade. His eyes glow red in the darkness…

Back near the lair, Jackalman takes his chance to attack. He steers his sky-cutter towards the ground with his eyes locked on target. "I have tygra in my sights!" he announces while raising his spiky club, ready to strike.

Tygra notices the vehicle speeding for him. Though he's lost his reasoning, instincts does kick in. As it comes to close range, he drops down to all fours in a crouch. the noise bothers him. He pushes himself towards the vehicle, and scraps his claws through the belly of it.

"Yaaaah!" The dog-man wasn't expecting that. he looks back after passing the landing cat. He performs a u-turn, but for some reason he can't steer it correctly, and it starts to tilt over. he glances to his right, and spots a panther trying to pull down the right wing. "W-what?!" He calls for his comrades. "Monkian! Vultureman! Slithe!"

"Sniveling coward !" Slithe scolds him. "Throw him off!" His scolding quickly switches to a shout of pain. Wilykit has attacked him from behind, burying her claws into his skin. "Why you- OOOW!" Her twin brother chomps down on his ankle. "You annoying brats! Unhand me!"

"I'm coming Slithe! Ooo-ooo!" Monkian raises his spiky-ball club up high, preparing to swing it at the twins. It feels strangely heavier than usual. Taking a look, he finds Snarf's jaws locked on to it. "H-how can this be?!"

Vultureman quickly lands his sky-cutter and tries to assist his comrades. But a angry growl freezes him in his tracks. Before he could blink, he is pounced to the ground.

"RRAAAAAH!"

An angry shout mixed with a roar.

The vulture looks at his attacker. he sees teeth bared, eyes burning… red hair... Lion-o. "CAAAW! GET OFF OF ME!"" He shoots to his feet, throwing him off, and runs for his life. He blindly rushes past Tygra and unknowingly stomps all over the catnip. It doesn't take long until he realizes that a lion and a tiger is on his tail.

Then comes Tygra - lashing at the scavenger. He grips on his back and sinks his teeth into his shoulder.

"CAAAW! They've gone insane! CAW! The pain! The agony!" he runs in circles, trying to release himself before he becomes plucked, roasted, and served with Duck sauce.

A loud crash is heard. Panthro has torn of the wing of Jakalman's sky-cutter. the vehicle falls towards the ground like a paper airplane folded wrong. Panthro jumps off in the nick of time.

Monkian has already managed to free his weapon from Snarf, but has now encountered a different problem. Cheetara runs in circles around him. Unable to escape, he keeps receiving a series of scratches all over his body.

He cannot endure it any longer. Slithe runs for his nose-diver. "Retreat! Retreat now!"

The other Mutants are glad to hear that. Monkian and Vultureman - sharing his sky-cutter with Jackalman - speeds off behind their leader.

"This hurts my pride!" Slithe grumbles as they travel down the forest. "The ThunderCats… unarmed and loss in reason… they still managed to beat us!"

"Caaw… you're wrong Slithe." Vultureman grumbles. "They are armed. They have claws and teeth, they just don't use them… until today…"

"Shut up scavenger, or I'll have your feathers as my headdress!"

"That's not possible." Poor Vultureman has been plucked to end.

The Mutants was unaware that they were being watched by Willa and Nayda of the Treetop kingdom. The duett knows that the Mutants had received another beating, but in a very unusual way. Will decides to investigate.

As soon as they arrive, Willa takes note on the plant growing around the lair. "Catnip." She draws her bow and arrow. "They've lost themselves." Nayda immediately loads her weapon too.

Not long after she said that, out comes the twins. They don't look like friendly kits anymore. More like feral cats with rabies. They obviously had taken in way too much. Easy to take care of. She launches her arrow, and a rope attached to it ties around their ankles and wrist. They let out a series of yolks as they try to break free.

Then comes Tygra and Panthro. Both Humans launch an arrow with a attached net the two felines are caught in the trap.

One by one, each ThunderCat is eaither tied, or in a net. Willa brings them to her kingdom.

"What happened to them?" One of her friends asks. She approaches the net containing Panthro. She yelps when he hisses at her.

"The Mutants surrounded their home with Catnip. The plant was a lot larger than normal, and it made them violent." She draws another arrow, and releases it. It stabs the ground and the woman quickly back away as sleep gas pours out, immediately putting the felines to sleep.

The next morning, one-by-one, the ThunderCats wake up in confusion or pain or, both.

The twins are the first to wake. They find the situation stiff and uncomfortable. Then they realize that they're tied up.

"Rrrooow... What did we do to ourselves yesterday?" Wilykat says. "I can't - break free!"

"We've been tied up!" Wilykit takes note of that. She winces in pain. "Me-OW! You're right! I don't remover anything! At least we are still in one piece."

A grunt is heard, followed by a small growl full of confusion and pain. Tygra wakes up next, dangling inside a net high in a tree. "By Jaga!" He is certainly stuck with his hands and feet clanged on the holes of the net. He repeatedly tries to yank his hands free. Then he tries harder, until the claws settle back down to their normal length. he rubs his hands and feet. He even notices that he's missing some hair on his head. "what the- this isn't making any sense!"

"What's going on here?!" Cheetara shouts. She lays on the ground with her arms and legs tied. Obviously the maddins was smart to do that with someone as swift as her. "We've been captured!"

"I wouldn't say that." Panthro hangs in a net next to Tygra. His boots are missing, exposing his feet. "More like retained."

Lion-o's entire body is tied. "I can't move a muscle!" Unlike Panthro, he is only missing one boot. Like everyone else, his clothing his torn all over.

Snarf's the only one not trapped in anything. He doesn't say a word except an exhausted "snarf." and rests his head on top his paws.

"I see that you all slept well."

Everyone looks for the owner of the voice.

"Willa!" Lion-o identifies her. He is clearly surprised. "What is this about?! Why are we tied up?!" He squirms inside the rope, but it's no help. "We haven't done anything wrong!"

"You all became insane and tried to attack Willa and I" Nayda points out. This, however, only confuses them.

Panthro's the first to protest. "We wouldn't even dare to threaten you!" His right hand's claws expose themselves. he forces them down to normal length.

"You _hissed _at me!" One of the woman shouts.

"I did what?" Panthro blinks twice in disbelief. Then his claws expose themselves again. "Okay, this is starting to really bother me." He, once again, forces them down. He growls when his hands does it again. "I can't seem to control my hands at the moment!"

Willa chuckles at their small problem. "I can see that the effects of the catnip are still getting to you."

The ThunderCats groan at the name.

"I remember now." Tygra says with a hint of embarrassment. "Not much… just… blurs of it."

Panthro starts to laugh. :You should've seen yourself! You was cuddling with catnip! It was hilarious!"

"Well, at least I didn't run away screaming from bats!" Tygra shoots back.

"Hey!"

"I remember running everywhere now!" Wilykit sighs. "Sorry I scratched you Lion-o and Panthro."

"You couldn't help on what you were doing. None of us could. But we can forgive one another since we are aware of what we've done." Lion-o reminds her.

Cheetara clears her throat to gather everyone's attention. "I don't mean to interrupt, but you won't mind freeing us would you?"

"That can be done." Willa replies. Quickly, she and the other woman free them from their traps.

"Thanks Willa. I don't think I could stay in there for another minute." Tygra starts to rub his arms now. "These wounds are killing me."

"Catnip cuddler." Panthro teases with a chuckle.

Tygra doesn't find it funny. "That's enough Panthro."

"What? It was funny!"

"Not as funny as your fear of bats."

"Hey! I don't cuddle with plants as if they're my teddy bear!"

"At least I didn't fall off a tree and harmed myself because I forgot I was on one."

Now the two starts to bicker like children.

"You take that back!"

"I'm not taking it back until you take back what you said."

" Well, _I'm_ not taking it back until you take back what _you_ said!"

"It doesn't work like that!"

Everyone can already feel the tension rising between the two. The kits and Snarf backs away. This kind of behavior isn't like them at all!

"By thunder!" Panthro shouts. "You're starting to _really _set me off Tygra! It's not my fault that you are so easily influenced! It's no wonder why you was easily taken in by that blasted catnip! You can't even swim like the rest of us!"

"You pass out whenever a cluster of bats come around!"

Panthro feels his anger spike. His ears pull back and his teeth are bared as a threatening growl escpes his throat.

Tygra does the same, only he opens his mouth with a long hiss.

Panthro's snarl switches to a roar.

Tygra does the same once more.

"ENOUGH!" Willa demands, interrupting them before things could get ugly. She looks rather surprised than angry. "I warned you that the catnip you had so much of recently is still affecting you! All of you now can get angry at the littlest things!"

"To tell you the truth, we hardly ever roar - not even close to hissing. It's not common for us to go that far. In fact… it's rare for us to do it among each other. This proves how powerful that plant really was." Lion-o explains with interest.

"Not to mention that our personalities are affected too." Cheetara adds, taking note on what just happened. "They don't ever act that way."

"Snarf… that's quite understandable. Panthro's roar gives me a chill down my spine… sch-naaarf…" Snarf mummbles.

Tygra settles down and asks Willa, "So what about the Mutants?"

She starts to laugh. "After what you've done to them, I'm sure they'll leave you alone for a while."

"I wonder what we've done that scared them off." Cheetara smiles slightly as a faint memory plays in her head. "They've underestimated us. No wonder they do, we _always _win."

One of the treetop woman looks at her leader with wonder. "I remember seeing the vulture mutant. He lost all his feathers. What happened back there?"

Tygra coughs heavily. After a few seconds, he coughs out feathers and his eyes widen in shock. "By Thundera… I didn't eat him did I?!"

"He still lives." Willa replies. "I doubt they'll try that again."

"That was actually kinda fun." Wilykit says. "We were very crazy out there!"

"Crazy, that's why we have to get rid of it." Panthro says with a small chuckle. "Tygra and I almost got into a clawing fight. That plant's dangerous!"

"To you, that is." Willa reminds them. "We are immune to it, so we'll destroy it for you. Just stay on the sidelines."

"Destroy?!" The twin kittens repeat in a way that translates to 'No way! Don't do that!'

"It's for the best." Lion-o says. "If we don't, then we might get into it again, and we'll certainly turn against each other."

"Okay. I guess - we understand." Wilykat agrees.

Wilykit huffs at her brother's statement. "Look at who's talking! The one who started this problem! Your curiosity could've finished us!"

Her brother just laughs nervously.

-Epilogue-

Tygra stands at the lair's control room. On the scanners he sees the plants burning to ashes. "Good riddance!"

Everyone else walks inside to join him. Panthro stands next to him, still a little lost in thought. "You _hissed _at me." His expression lightens up when Tygra looks at him. "That's unlike you."

"I am aware of that." The tiger replies. "But someone growled at _me _first."

"Then we both roared."

The two become silent for a few moments, then they both laugh.

"I'm just glad that the catnip is gone." Cheetara says. "But we haven't ate at all yesterday. I know that we're all hungry."

Snarf crosses his arms with some disappointment. "The meal is rotten, so I have to cook again. I told you about the catnip, but no one listens to Snarf."

"I'll keep note on that." Lion-o promises. "Next time, we'll be open to hear what you have to say."

"And as for us, no more messing with things that we're not familiar with." Wilykat adds. "After all…"

"Curiosity killed the cat!" The ThunderCats joins in and they all broke into warming laughter, glad that the catastrophe is now over, glad that they are still together.

As the remaining catnip burns to dust, the ThunderCats end their laughter with their usual spirit.

"ThunderCats! HO! ThunderCats! Forever!"

THE END

(yeah, seems childish to put that here!)

**A/N: ****Finally finish! (How many times do I say that in the end of my fanfics? Must be a catch line now.) But anyway, this took a looong time to complete! I hoped you liked it! :)**


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